GSA seeks industry input on NS2020

The General Services Administration has issued its first request for information for the huge new telecommunications program that will replace the Networx vehicle.

The RFI covers Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS), which falls into one of six areas the agency is considering for the Network Services 2020 (NS2020) contracting vehicle.

The goal is twofold, according to GSA. The RFI seeks information on certain aspects of the EIS acquisition strategy and solicits comments from industry on the proposed strategy. It was released on April 8, and comments are due by May 8. The agency plans to solicit bids for NS2020 in fiscal 2015.

The RFI is part of GSA's effort to develop a comprehensive framework and acquisition strategy for NS2020, which will become the federal government’s strategic sourcing center for network-based and network-enabled services.

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"Understanding telecommunications technology and markets, including regional, national, and worldwide markets, is key to identifying the integrated portfolio of services as part of the NS2020 strategy," the RFI states.

EIS is part of the Infrastructure Solutions program area and includes a wide variety of voice and video services, data services, data center services (including cloud), dedicated hosting, managed hosting, managed services, cabling and call center services, among others.

According to the RFI, the goal of the EIS initiative is to allow agencies to buy comprehensive solutions through the EIS ordering process without having to integrate procurement actions across multiple contract vehicles.

Note: This article was updated on April 15 to correct the deadline for RFI comments. The RFI itself had incorrectly listed the date, and is also being corrected.

About the Author

Mark Rockwell is a senior staff writer at FCW, whose beat focuses on acquisition, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy.

Before joining FCW, Rockwell was Washington correspondent for Government Security News, where he covered all aspects of homeland security from IT to detection dogs and border security. Over the last 25 years in Washington as a reporter, editor and correspondent, he has covered an increasingly wide array of high-tech issues for publications like Communications Week, Internet Week, Fiber Optics News, tele.com magazine and Wireless Week.

Rockwell received a Jesse H. Neal Award for his work covering telecommunications issues, and is a graduate of James Madison University.